designing for user experience (ux)

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Eric F. Shaver, Ph.D. July 2012

Working Presentation: UX12-1

Designing for User Experience (UX)

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This slide deck is a working presentation in draft form. It is being distributed to facilitate comment and discussion in the user experience (UX) community. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact the author.

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Overview

• Introduction

• HFE, Usability, UX, UE, & UCD - How Do They Fit Together?

• The Process

• UX & Agile

• Take Home Message

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HFE, Usability, UX, UE, & UCD – How Do They Fit Together?

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Human Factors & Ergonomic (HFE)

• HFE is a unique scientific discipline that systematically applies the knowledge of human abilities and limitations to the design of systems with the goal of optimizing the interaction between people and other system elements to enhance safety, performance, and satisfaction.

• In simpler terms, HFE focuses on designing the world to better accommodate people.

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Usability

• “Extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.”

• “Guidance for Usability” - ISO 9241-11 (1998)

• But … is a “usable” technology sufficient???

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User Experience (UX)

• "User experience" encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services, and its products. The first requirement for an exemplary user experience is to meet the exact needs of the customer, without fuss or bother. Next comes simplicity and elegance that produce products that are a joy to own, a joy to use. True user experience goes far beyond giving customers what they say they want, or providing checklist features. In order to achieve high-quality user experience in a company's offerings there must be a seamless merging of the services of multiple disciplines, including engineering, marketing, graphical and industrial design, and interface design. (http://www.nngroup.com/about/userexperience.html)

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User Engagement (UE)

• It’s a category of user experience characterized by attributes of:

• challenge,

• positive affect,

• endurability,

• aesthetic and sensory appeal,

• attention,

• feedback,

• variety/novelty,

• interactivity, and

• perceived user control.

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User-Centered Design (UCD)

Desirable

(Users)

Feasible

(Technical)

Viable

(Marketplace)

3 Lenses Model (IDEO)

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User-Centered Design (UCD), cont.

Desirable

(Users)

Feasible

(Technical)

Viable

(Marketplace)

Innovation “Sweet Spot”

3 Lenses Model (IDEO)

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Self-Actualization

Esteem

Belonging

Safety

Physiological

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UX Design Hierarchy of Needs

Desirability

Usability

Productivity

Functionality

Safety

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Factors To Consider In UX Design

• Users - Who will be using it?

• Sensation, perception, attention, beliefs, attitudes, emotions, memory, decision making, and behavior .

• Tasks - What is trying to be accomplished?

• Technology - How will it integrate with other tech?

• Environment - Where will it be used?

• Organization - Barriers for use?

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So What’s A Company To Do?

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The Process

• Employ a user-centered design (UCD) approach, which incorporates human factors and ergonomics (HFE) principles, to facilitate the creation of an optimal user experience (UX) to maximize user engagement (UE) when interacting with a given technology.

• But, how does it work with an agile development process?

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Agile Development Process

From: http://javaj2eeplanet.blogspot.com/2010/11/agile-methodology.html

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Agile Development Process, cont.

From: Wolkerstorfer, et al. (2008). Probing an Agile Usability Process.

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UX & Agile Are Compatible!

Innovation Funnel

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Methods For Gaining Insights From Users

• Web Analytics

• Product Returns

• Failed Sales

• Social Media

• Emails

• Phone Calls

• Forums

• Product Reviews

• Remote/Online

• Surveys

• Focus Groups

• Usability Testing (Objective & Subjective)

• Structured Interviews

• Diaries/Journals

• Longitudinal Use Cases

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UX Needs To Be

• Foundational to all organizational efforts.

• Tied to strategy – product & organizational.

• “Married” to the agile development process.

• Continually improving.

• Everyone's responsibility.

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User-Centered ≠ User Only Input

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Multiple Inputs Are Needed

Technology Design,

Development, & Deployment

Talent-Driven

Design-Driven

Research-Driven

User-Driven Data-

Driven

Market-Driven

Org-Driven

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Take Home Message

• Know thy user. Design for their needs, wants & desires.

• It’s not about you – it’s about your customers.

• Details matter.

• Continual, synthesized feedback from a variety of users results in greater insight.

• Everyone can impact UX.

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Additional Resources

• UX Magazine

• http://www.uxmag.com/

• UXmatters

• http://uxmatters.com/

• UX Booth

• http://www.uxbooth.com/

• All About UX

• http://www.allaboutux.org/

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Additional Resources, cont.

• Measuring the User Experience

• http://www.measuringux.com/

• Usability Counts

• http://www.usabilitycounts.com/

• Boxes and Arrows

• http://boxesandarrows.com/

• Johnny Holland

• http://johnnyholland.org/

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Author Biography

Dr. Shaver is a senior consultant with Benchmark Research & Safety, Inc., where he specializes in human factors & ergonomics, safety, organizational behavior, leadership development, user research, and training. Dr. Shaver's work has emphasized achieving an optimal fit between people, technology, and work systems to facilitate safety, performance, and satisfaction. A specific focus has centered on bridging the research-practice gap by synthesizing and disseminating the latest scientific findings about human capabilities and limitations to the design, development, implementation, use, and evaluation of technology.

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Contact Information

• Eric F. Shaver, Ph.D.

Email: eric.shaver@gmail.com

Blog: www.thehumanfactorblog.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ericshaver

SlideShare: www.slideshare.net/ericfshaver

Twitter: @ericshaver